April 8-10, 2026 (WAJIR, Kenya) The participatory piloting of community risk narratives for the Mandera Cluster was conducted under the PASSAGE Project implemented by the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), in collaboration with the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
The forum opened with remarks made on behalf of the NDMA CEO. ICPALD remarks were delivered on behalf of Dr. Dereje Wakjira, ICPALD Director, emphasizing the importance of bringing together communities, technical experts, and local authorities to co-produce impact-based advisories by integrating scientific forecasts with local knowledge to support timely anticipatory action.
The engagement brought together stakeholders from Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties to co-produce drought risk narratives for the March–May (MAM) 2026 season. The process integrated scientific forecasts from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) with indigenous knowledge systems to enhance the usability and uptake of early warning information at community level.
Participants comprised representatives from national and county government institutions, development partners, and community actors. Key institutions included NDMA, County Government departments, Kenya Meteorological Department, ICPALD, and community leaders, elders, women, and youth representatives.
This meeting strengthened community capacity to interpret early warning information, refine locally relevant advisories and enhance coordination for early action, which supports scaling of locally led anticipatory action (AA) and strengthens resilience across pastoral communities.
The outcomes at the conclusion of the forum were:
- Co-produced drought risk narratives for the Mandera (Somali) cluster
- Development of community-level advisories and anticipatory action plans
- Strengthened integration of scientific and indigenous knowledge systems
- Enhanced stakeholder understanding of impact-based forecasting and anticipatory action
- Improved coordination among NDMA, county governments, and community actors
- Strengthened translation of early warning information into actionable community responses.
This meeting was funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) /Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) under the Strengthening Pastoral Livelihoods in the African Greater Horn through Effective Anticipatory Action (PASSAGE) project.
